Dear Friends,
What a difference a week makes. One day I’m able to see humor in the archaeology and culture history of cheese. The next week, not so much.
To get some fresh air and clear my head, I took a long walk to the University of Arizona campus and back. I walked east from my house, away from the setting sun, and was blessed to enjoy one of Tucson’s fantastic sunsets. I saw a stack of smooth, disc-shaped clouds, the kind that look vaguely like the front of a few Starship Enterprise ships from the TV show Star Trek, stacked one on top of the other. The setting sun painted the clouds orange for a few spectacular moments, then slipped away into quiet, gray darkness. It was amazing, and made me think of a passage from Rabbi Abraham Heschel that I turn to for solace when times are tough. (I urge you to read it slowly, perhaps even out loud, and remember that the punctuation matters!)
To pray is to regain a sense of the Mystery that animates all beings. The Divine margin in all attainments. Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living. It is all we can offer in return for the mystery by which we live.
Who is worthy to be present to the constant unfolding of time? Amidst the meditation of mountains, the humility of flowers, wiser than all alphabets … clouds that die constantly for the sake of God’s glory. We are hating, hunting, hurting.
Suddenly we feel ashamed of all our clashes and complaints in the face of the tacit glory in nature. It is so embarrassing to live.
How strange we are in the world and how presumptuous our doings. Only one response can maintain us: Gratefulness for witnessing the wonder; for the gift to our unearned right to live, to adore, to fulfill. It is gratefulness which makes the soul great.
I love this passage for its emphasis on Nature and humankind’s troubled relationships with it and with each other. As insightful as it is, however, Heschel never interrogates “Why”. Why do we exist? Why do we appreciate, or fail to appreciate, all that Mother Nature has to offer? Why do we hate? These existential questions have no easy answers but are important for people, organizations, and societies to ponder from time to time.
At this particular moment, I take a tremendous amount of comfort in knowing Archaeology Southwest’s “Why”. The answers are simple and powerful. Our “Why” is focused on learning—through science, practice, conversation, and collaboration—people’s stories in and on the land. By sharing what we’re learning, Archaeology Southwest helps ensure that we all come to better respect, steward, and protect those places and connections.
Our “Why” is about working to rebuild vital and important relationships with Indigenous communities in everything we do. Our “Why” is protecting the archaeological record while understanding and acknowledging the meaning and significance of place to people and communities.
Archaeology Southwest sets lofty and ambitious goals under the general rubric of Preservation Archaeology. Although we may not always be successful, I promise we are going to keep doing what we do in a thoughtful, considerate, inclusive, and respectful manner. I think, and hope, that Rabbi Heschel would approve.
Until next week,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image: Skylar Begay
Mesa Grande Cultural Park Is Now Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki
Mesa Grande Cultural Park has a new name to better reflect the property’s deep roots to the East Valley’s Native American history. The cultural landmark located near Country Club Drive and Rio Salado Parkway will now be known as Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki, a phrase meaning “Blue Fly’s place of dwelling” in the O’odham language. The new name is intended to pay tribute to the O’odham and Piipaash communities and their connections to Mesa’s ancestral lands. “This renaming pays tribute to their enduring legacy and the sacred significance of these lands to the O’odham and Piipaash way of life,” Mesa Mayor John Giles said in a statement. Kevin Reagan for Channel 12 News | Read more »
Pueblo of Tesuque, BLM, and Forest Service Will Co-Steward the Caja del Río
Today, leadership from the Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Forest Service, and the Pueblo of Tesuque signed a memorandum of understanding to co-steward culturally significant Tribal places located on public lands of the Caja del Río Plateau west of Santa Fe, N.M. This agreement establishes a framework to collaboratively ensure the protection, preservation, and access to culturally significant Pueblo sites within the boundaries of land managed by federal agencies. “We are pleased to work with BLM and the Forest Service on this historic co-stewardship agreement. It will incorporate traditional ecological knowledge of Tesuque Pueblo into the federal government’s management responsibilities for this unique, living, cultural landscape,” said Pueblo of Tesuque Governor Milton Herrera. “It will strengthen our relationship with these two federal agencies and ultimately lead to improved protection of the culturally sensitive areas within the Caja del Río that are important to the Pueblo.” Bureau of Land Management (press release) | Read more »
National Park Service Issues Director’s Order on Consultation
The National Park Service has issued a first-ever Director’s Order for agency decision-makers engaging in nation-to-nation consultations with Indian and Alaska Native Tribes, underscoring the agency’s commitment to developing, implementing, and maintaining positive working relationships with Tribes based on transparency, accountability, mutual trust, and responsibility. The Director’s Order, developed with input from Tribes, codifies and expands existing National Park Service policies and procedures and affirms meaningful consultations with Tribes as a National Park Service policy priority. Park managers will be able to use this policy directive to help facilitate consequential discussions and ensure Tribal input is included early in the park decision-making process on issues that may directly or indirectly affect Tribe’s and their ancestral lands, interests, practices, or traditional use areas. NPS (news release) | Learn more »
Oregon State University Opens NAGPRA Facility
The proper repatriation of Native American remains is behind a new facility in Corvallis. It’s a collaboration between Oregon State University and the nine federally-recognized tribes within the state. Called the “OSU-NAGPRA Facility,” the two buildings comprise about 2,000-sq. ft. total. They’re for consultation, records, administrative offices, and storing human remains in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Ashley Russell is director of Natural Resources and Culture for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, or CTCLUSI. During an online press conference held Thursday, Russell credited serious and sensitive discussions among tribes, OSU, and the state in making the facility possible. “It’s just very important to us as tribes to have that relationship, and it not be like a transactional thing because these are ancestors,” she said. “They’ve made their journey, they’re on the other side, and you have to be careful when you navigate those sorts of things.” Brian Bull for Oregon Public Broadcasting | Read more »
Continuing Coverage: Native American Heritage Month 2024
As the nation celebrates the heritage of Native Americans and Alaska Natives, we lift up the broad range of diversity, nuance, and beauty of Indigenous cultures and artistry throughout the country. The artistic contributions of Native peoples have demonstrated the power of the arts to inspire us, respect our lands and environment, see our shared humanity, preserve tradition, connect us to one another, and narrate our histories, present and futures. The NEA is proud to support Native arts organizations and recognize Native artists and culture bearers. This year the National Endowment for the Arts awarded the 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellowship to the Zuni Olla Maidens (Zuni Pueblo) Dance Troupe, Quilter Susan Hudson (Navajo/Diné), and fiddler Trimble Gilbert (Gwich’in). In April, visual artist Jeffrey Gibson (Choctaw/Cherokee) was the first American Indigenous artist to hold a solo exhibition in the American pavilion at the Venice Biennale, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of State, and philanthropy. Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PHD, National Endowment for the Arts | Read more »
In Memoriam: George T. (Tom) Jones
In an email to the Hamilton community on Nov. 5, Dean of Faculty Ngoni Munemo shared news of the death of George T. (Tom) Jones, the Elias W. Leavenworth Professor of Anthropology Emeritus. Tom was a nationally and internationally recognized scholar. Three of his colleagues in the Anthropology Department, when nominating him for the Dean’s Career Achievement Award that he won in 2015, wrote, “He has published some of the most highly cited works in Paleoindian archaeology. An overview of the Paleoindian archaeology of the Great Basin, published in 1997, has become one of the most widely cited papers both regionally and nationally.” Hamilton College | Read more »
Video: We Excavated a Mammoth!
How do archaeologists know where to dig? The Warren Mammoth Site is a site where archaeologists from the University of Wyoming excavated a Columbian mammoth in 2022 and 2023. David Ian Howe of Ethnocynology, in cooperation with The Frison Institute and others | Watch now »
Publication Announcement: New Methods of Dating Building Mural Traditions
Bellorado, B. A. (2024). New Methods of Dating Building Mural Traditions across the Southern Bears Ears National Monument with Dendrochronology. Journal of Field Archaeology, 1–22. Learn more »
Position Announcement: Historic Preservation Officer (Tucson AZ)
The City of Tucson seeks a Historic Preservation Officer to protect Tucson’s cultural and historical resources, collaborate with stakeholders, and help tell our community’s unique story. This leadership position will be charged with building our historic preservation team, implementing new processes and promoting greater engagement with our community. Tucson has been continuously habited for nearly 2,000 years and has a wealth of archeological and architectural cultural resources that reflect our multi-faceted and multi-cultural history. The Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Tucson is responsible for the protection and preservation of these resources, as well as engaging with our community to raise awareness and understanding of our city’s rich history. City of Tucson | Learn more »
November Live Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
Nov. 11, Pat Gilman, Scarlet Macaw Husbandry in the Southwestern U.S. & Northwestern Mexico; Nov. 18, Paul Minnis, Reframing Paquime: My Final Thoughts After Forty Years; Nov. 25, Kerry Frances Thompson (Diné), To Be Diné: Southwestern Archaeology, Oral Tradition & the Story of the Navajo. $20 at the door or $75 for the series of 4 lectures. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
REMINDER: Nov. 9 In-Person Event (Oro Valley AZ): Make a Pot (and Come Back to Fire It)
With Allen Denoyer. Learn to shape and decorate your own pinch-pot. Allen will provide clay and pigments to help you replicate ancient techniques and craft your unique pottery piece. Bring your creation back for our annual pottery firing event with expert Andy Ward on December 14. Hands-On Archaeology (Archaeology Southwest) | Learn more »
REMINDER: Nov. 12 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): Weaving the Hair of the Dog
With Laurie Webster. Join us in-person at Catalyst Creative Collective in the Tucson Mall, where Webster (anthropologist and independent scholar) will discuss “Weaving the Hair of the Dog: White Dog Hair Textiles in the Ancient Southwest.” White dog hair played a unique role in Southwestern weaving during the period from 100 to 900 CE. Laurie will explore the cultural importance of this fiber, types of woven items produced, and evidence that early Southwestern peoples bred white dogs. Archaeology Café (Archaeology Southwest) | Learn more »
Nov. 13 In-Person Event (Taos NM): Understanding Taos Pueblo, Past and Present
With Kevin Whitefeather and Paul Reed. Taos Pueblo anchors the Taos community. Yet its history and the role it plays in tying us all to this magical place is often misunderstood or surrounded by myth. Join us for a lively discussion of the origins of it people and the important role it plays in shaping our future. Learn more »
Nov. 13 In-Person (Durango CO) and Online Event: Rediscovering the Fremont through Data-Driven Examination of Rock Imagery
With Elizabeth Hora. Over 1,000 years ago people of the Fremont archaeological culture lived in the Uinta Basin where they farmed, foraged, made villages, and—central to this talk—created some of the most incredible and intriguing rock imagery the world has ever seen. The rock imagery centers on depictions of human forms with gorgeous jewelry, intricate clothing and body paint, and holding implements of war and agricultural prosperity. Could these clues help us understand Fremont society? Utah Public Archaeologist Elizabeth Hora, Public Archaeologist with the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, is using data from nearly 500 of these humanesque figures to learn more about the Fremont—who these people were, how they organized amongst themselves, and what war and peace among the Fremont may have been like. 7: 00 p.m. MST, Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Dr. San Juan Basin Archaeological Society | Learn more and access Zoom link »
Nov. 14 Online Event: Intersecting Community-Based Participatory Research, Native Nation Building, and Community Gardens
With Matthew Kirk Tafoya. A common global denominator of Indigenous people is poor health, and the colonial settler states that are charged with providing healthcare are perplexed, misguided, or in denial as to the root causes. Matthew makes the case that depressed Indigenous social ecologies like American Indian reservations are intentional colonial constructs designed to handicap the population, thus producing intergenerational populations of health disparities. The Western world has spent decades and millions of dollars on research trying to figure out why Indigenous people are disproportionately unhealthy compared to their colonial counterparts but has produced little to no answers. An Indigenous researcher proposes a social ecological approach that is democratic, decolonized, and designed to provide adaptations to colonization and climate change. Combining two facilitation strategies, Community-Based Participatory Research and Native Nation Building, under social ecology theory, Matthew utilizes community gardens to be the mechanism to increase access to healthy and traditional food. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
Nov. 17 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): Saloons of Territorial Tucson
Archaeologist and historian Homer Thiel will present on his book Saloons of Territorial Tucson. What were the saloons of Territorial Tucson like? Were there bar brawls and barmaids in skimpy outfits? Why were saloons so popular? Homer Thiel has researched the saloons of Tucson from 1860 to 1914, preparing a new volume with entries for each saloon, biographies of prominent individuals involved in the saloon industry, and a detailed description of what saloons looked like inside and outside. Copies of his book will be available for sale after the lecture. $10 entry fee. Presidio Museum | Learn more »
Nov. 18 Online Event: The Past, Present, and Future of Camp Naco
With Brooks Jeffery and Becky Orozco. Camp Naco is a cornerstone of Buffalo Soldier history in Arizona and represents the proud tradition of Black military regiments after the Civil War. The Camp’s 17-acre site and 100+ year-old adobe buildings sit just 600 yards north of the US-Mexico border in the community of Naco Arizona and reside on the ancestral lands of the Chiricahua Apache. In 2022, the City of Bisbee and Naco Heritage Alliance received $8.1M in funding support, initiating a 4-year journey to: 1) Preserve and rehabilitate the site’s 20 buildings and open spaces; 2) Develop place-based programming to reactivate the site by interpreting its diverse cultural landscape and addressing community needs; and 3). Build organizational capacity to successfully sustain Camp Naco’s mission into the future. This presentation will outline the diverse histories of the Camp Naco site, the tireless efforts to preserve its buildings, and the future vision to reactivate Camp Naco as a destination to honor its past while addressing contemporary needs in the border community of Naco, Arizona. Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society | Learn more and register (free) »
Nov. 21 Online Event: Unsung Heroes: Search and Rescue-First Responders, Southern Arizona, 1901–2000
With Charles “Butch” Farabee Jr. (Retired National Park Service Superintendent and Search and Rescue/First Responder). Relevant nationwide, his talk is based on his 599-page, 2023 book Southern Arizona Search & Rescue and First Responder History, available FREE online. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
Nov. 23 In-Person Event (Dragoon AZ): Navajo Traditional Stories and the Science of Geology
With Henry Haven, Dale Nations, and Max Goldtooth Sr. Please join us at 11:00 am for a talk and book-signing. The three authors of this book vary greatly in backgrounds and experience but share in the love of the land and a desire to impart their knowledge of it. Comparisons are made of the rock record of geologic events known to geologists, to the legends in stories known to traditional Navajos. Ages and environments of deposition of stratigraphic units progress from the two billion-year-old rocks that are exposed in the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon to succeeding rock units known to exist on and under the lands of Dine ‘Bikeyah across the Colorado Plateau that were formed a few million years ago or less. Geologists use observed fossil records and other geologic events to establish a Universal Geologic Time Scale that consists of four Eras of geologic time: the Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. Navajo medicine men tell stories of their vision of the First Dark World, the Second Blue World, the Yellow Third World, and the Fourth White World. The stories show a major cycle of life beginning and extinction of variety of different species in the four worlds as does the geologic history in the four geologic eras. Amerind Museum | Learn more »
Nov. 23 In-Person Event (Phoenix AZ): 6th Annual Portal to the Past Festival
This festival celebrates the water heritage and ingenuity of the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People with cultural performances, artist talks, onsite tours and water-themed hands-on crafts. S’edav Va’aki Museum and Cultural Coalition | Learn more »
Dec. 21 In-Person Event (metro Tucson AZ): Winter Solstice Archaeological Sites Tour
With Allen Dart. This tour explores Los Morteros, a Hohokam village archaeological site with a ballcourt, bedrock mortars, and other ancient features; and to the Picture Rocks petroglyphs, which include a calendar marker, dancing human-like figures, whimsical animals, and other images in stone. Tour starts at 8:00 a.m. near Silverbell Rd & Linda Vista Blvd in Marana, AZ. $35 donation. Reservation deadline December 18. For more information or to register, send email to info@oldpueblo.org or call 520-798-1201. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center | Learn more »
Remember to send us notice of upcoming in-person events, webinars and Zoom lectures, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the Friends. Thanks!